Editor's Note

Abstract

Editor’s Note Teal Amthor-Shaffer Good writers embrace more than the dictionary definitions of words; they understand their weight, their implications, and their possibilities. This takes more than an extensive vocabulary. It requires an innate understanding of people, and a knack for perception. The same way that possession of a mental thesaurus is useless if you don't understand how to use the words, the most intent observer might not possess the capacity to do more than see. Perception leaves room for personal bias and opinion, and that is what makes each writer's perspective unique. I don't think this sort of ability is acquired. It is directly related to a writer's own ability to understand, and it requires a person to be curious, insightful, and introspective. I think you either have it or you don't. With that said, there is a reason that Red Cedar Review Volume 41 is a relatively short issue. Our staff chose the very best of hundreds of manuscripts—each piece is distinctly different, reflecting the unique perspective that each writer brings to the craft. As a collection, the pieces in this issue demonstrate a broad spectrum of experience and style. If you're in the mood to laugh, I suggest you start with Kurt Ayau's "Calling It Off," which outlines one man's increasing suspicion that he is being persecuted by telemarketers. Conversely, Robert Habermeyer's "The Fertile Yellow" takes a more somber look at eccentricity, introducing us to a couple who has tried everything from holistic medicine to the downright bizarre in an effort to get pregnant. Charles Harper Webb makes another appearance in our journal with "Notes to Myself," a meditation on the possibility that lies in the little scribbles we make throughout the day, only to later wonder what on earth they meant. A wonderful thing about Red Cedar Review is that it's unconcerned with name and title. We publish mostly work by new and emerging voices, although we proudly boast a respectable list of established authors (Neruda, Atwood, and Harrison, to name just a few). One of the most rewarding parts about working on this journal has been providing previously unpublished writers with a venue for their work. Some of them have been my peers here at MSU, others professors, parents, grad students. [End Page 1] Three of the pieces appearing in this issue are first place winners from Michigan State University's 2005 Creative Writing Awards. Colleen Farrow is responsible for two of those pieces, the poem "Minus My Mother" and the nonfiction memoir, "Not Walls But Shelves." The latter is a personal favorite of mine, as it explores her relationship with books and reading. It won't surprise me if many of those who pick up this issue, especially if they are writers, find themselves relating to her accounts of trips to Barnes & Noble or afternoons spent with their nose buried in a book. On a different note, Jared Gerling's nonfiction essay, "Four Years to Live. Six Minutes to Die." takes the reader through the challenge and thrill of a crew regatta, and the sacrifices people make for the things they are passionate about. RCR 41 is a wonderfully diverse collection that I am proud to have been a part of selecting. I am as grateful to the editorial staff responsible for choosing the pieces that appear in this issue as I am to the writers who wrote them. Not all of thestaff are writers, or even English majors, but we all share an enormous appreciation for language. There is not a single member of this staff who does not love to read. Collectively, we are all a part of East Lansing's literary community, which RCR has helped to foster. Literary circles such as this one exist in communities of all sizes, and on a broader scale, they are all connected by those who appreciate a good story, whether they are telling it or reading it. Working on this journal has given me the opportunity to help bring the works of writers from all over the country, and sometimes even the world, into print. In doing so, the works selected...